Ken and I went to Hawaiʻi for a week for my birthday. The big island,
at a fancy tourist resort, my first time ever. It was lovely but also
a bit boring, next time I go I’ll do it differently.

The great thing about Hawaiʻi is that it’s easy to visit
and is absolutely beautiful. I totally get why people go there in the
winter, to get some warmth and sun and relaxation. We stayed at the Four Seasons Hualālai
which was excellent if outrageously expensive. The problem with a resort
like that is it’s disconnected from the real place. And as nice
as it is to have your big decision of the day be which of the four pools
you hang out by, that’s not really my kind of vacation.

But what I missed was seeing a real place, getting more
in to local culture and food and history. I’m kicking myself
that I didn’t plan to visit other islands, in particular
to go to Oʻahu to see the Big City, go to Pearl Harbor, and
to accept my anthropologist friend’s offer to tour the
Bishop Museum. Next
time. (Incidentally, the TSA security theater is an enormous burden to
inter-island travel. 30 minute flight, 90 minute security.)

PS: the Hawaiian
language is fascinating: only 8 consonants and one of them
a glottal stop, but plenty of diphthong vowels. t
and k are the same letter, so taboo
becomes kapu. Only really lives on in place names. Hawaiian Pidgin
is in active use, although I only heard it once.